A set of interventions, including institutionalising a “mini snack break” as part of the school timetable, are being introduced in Delhi government schools with the aim of “overcoming malnutrition”.
The Directorate of Education (DoE) is in the process of identifying students with low BMI studying in their schools and conducting medical check-ups. At the same time, it will implement interventions at the school level and keep track of children with low BMI by instructing class teachers to maintain a regular record of the height and weight of each child in their class.
As part of the interventions, school timetables will be restructured with a “mini snack break” two-and-a-half hours before the lunch break.
However, while schools will advise students and parents on what snacks to bring, these will not be provided by schools themselves, unlike the mid-day meals.
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Schools have been instructed to create a weekly planner of “cost-effective” health snacks with three choices per day such as fruit, sprouts, salad, roasted chana and peanuts, and to “advise” students to bring at least one of the items for the mini snack break.
Schools have also been instructed to conduct class-wise counselling sessions of parents by class teachers in consultation with home science or natural science teachers to emphasise the relationship between a healthy diet and “performance in academics/attention span/physical activity/comprehension and growth”, as well as to recommend low-cost and high-nutrition meals suggested by home science teachers.
“We can recommend and counsel, but there are limits to how much we can enforce bringing ‘healthy snacks’ from their homes. If a poor family is finding it difficult to provide something, we can’t force them,” said a head of a school.
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“Nutrition plays a vital role in the physical and cognitive growth of an individual. Nutrition for children is essential to achieve their full developmental potential. Poor nutrition not only compromises the health of school-aged children, but also affects their potential to benefit from education. Good health and hygiene amounts to positive learning outcomes and reinforces positive behaviour amongst the students at the school level that further promotes their overall health and development,” states the circular issued to all schools.
Addressing absenteeism in schools, owing to poor health conditions, is also among the stated aims of these interventions.
Snack breaks for school students as Delhi govt plans health interventions - The Indian Express
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